Joe Biden attends fundraiser for S.C. pol

Vice President Joe Biden made a last-minute appearance Wednesday night at a fundraiser for South Carolina gubernatorial hopeful Vincent Sheheen at which Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley was a star attraction, two sources told POLITICO.

Biden stopped by and spoke briefly at the event, which was at a private home in Washington, D.C. O’Malley and South Carolina Rep. Jim Clyburn were two of the special guests listed on the invitation.

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It’s the latest instance in which Biden, who has made clear he is considering running for president in 2016, has shown up at a fundraiser held for a candidate who hails from an early presidential primary state.

The vice president recently attended a fundraiser for an Iowa candidate that was held in D.C., saying, according to The Des Moines Register, that he went because retiring Sen. Tom Harkin told him to.

In this case, the event was largely planned by O’Malley, another Democrat considering a presidential campaign who also has made trips to early states.

One person involved in the event said Biden was not expected until he sent word near to the start time that he planned to attend. A source close to Biden said he’d been invited to the gathering.